When the Hanson's built their first home in a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota, back in 2006, they were not trying to get to Net-Zero. The concept had hardly been on anyone's radar over a decade ago. But they wanted it to be as energy-efficient as possible. So, they installed spray foam insulation, geothermal, and solar panels. "It was basically like taping energy efficiency post-it notes onto a house," says Mark. 

The problem was that their builders did not look at the home and site holistically, missing opportunities that would have made the home more functional. As they discovered after living in it, it was a much bigger house than two people needed. They also had a long commute to and from work each day.

When they decided to move closer to the city to reduce their commute times, they were well versed in sustainable home building and design. Their thinking had evolved, technologies had improved, and they got a second shot at building their dream home. This time, they hit the trifecta, with the admirable certifications and awards of LEED Platinum (version 4), Minnesota Greenstar Home (Gold), and Living Building Challenge Zero Energy Certification. How did that happen? They set goals and thoughtfully planned the design of the home.

It's All About Setting Goals

The primary goal for the Hansons was to have a truly Net Zero energy home, but it didn't stop there. They wanted the house to be Net Zero, including the ability to charge their two electric vehicles, their electric lawnmower and snowblower. 

A second goal was to have a smaller, beautiful and comfortable home, one that they could live in for the rest of their lives—so everything the need is on the main level. 

Third, they wanted to make sure the home was healthy and that it did not contribute in any way to something that could harm other people's health. They focused on using healthy materials, e.g., paints, cabinets, and adhesives that do not off-gas. They also thought about the site. They wanted to manage stormwater on their property and even pull some of the water off the adjacent roads. This would prevent it from running through the streets, where stormwater can pick up pollutants that end up in our drinking water. 

Finding the Perfect Site

They couldn't start designing the home until they found a site. They looked for a location that was not too far from where they work and play. Mark, a self-proclaimed data geek, calculated that by reducing their commute time, they found an extra four to five weeks of time in their lives. That's time you cannot get back.

Costs and Benefits

The cost of creating a healthy, Net Zero, or in their case, net negative energy home has come down. The Hansons estimate they paid about 15 percent more for their home than one built to code, but that the incremental costs could quickly be recouped through lower operating costs. Their electricity is free. 

In addition to lower operating costs, they get to live with less maintenance. LED lights mean they never have to change a light bulb. No gas appliances mean no pilot light to fix and cleaner indoor air. Healthier indoor air means air filters do not need to be changed as frequently. And ground source heat pumps mean no outside air conditioner to cleanout.

They seem to have gotten everything right this time. So much so, that Mark started a blog to share his knowledge and show that it is not so hard.

The Coolest Car on the Planet

We would shortchange our readers, though, without covering one of the coolest things on earth right now: Mark's Tesla.

The backstory: Ed Hawkins, a professor in the United Kingdom, wanted to help people visualize global warming. So, he figured out a way to graphically represent the changes in global temperatures over time. Accomplished by using stripes, each year has its own stripe. Blue is colder than average, and red is warmer. Mark spotted this artistic rendering of global warming from a news article that showed a group of meteorologists wearing ties that sported these stripes. That gave him an idea: could his Tesla have those same stripes? He called up the professor to make sure it was okay with him, called the car shop to see if they could do it, and…voila, an electric vehicle that speaks volumes.